Top storylines from Triple-A and Double-A 2024

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It began with a first-pitch called strike from Ricky Tiedemann in Buffalo on March 29. It ended with a 10th-inning called strike three from Noah Davis in Reno.

The Minor League regular season came to a close Sunday with the conclusion of the Triple-A slates in the International and Pacific Coast Leagues. Not to fear completely — there is still Minor League postseason action all week. The three Double-A circuits pick up their Championship Series on Tuesday, the same day the IL and PCL begin their best-of-three Finals ahead of Saturday’s Triple-A National Championship.

We have some games to tide us over in the Minor Leagues’ top two levels yet. But the regular season is the regular season. We won’t see it resume until March 28, 2025.

In this newsletter, we’ve already covered some of the biggest High-A and Single-A storylines from the 2024 campaign. So while Double-A and Triple-A seasons are still fresh in our minds, let’s cover some of the most notable performances and events from ‘24 at those two levels:

Deyvison De Los Santos’ slugfest
The 21-year-old infielder led the Minor Leagues with 40 homers in 137 games between Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno and Jacksonville, and it wasn’t particularly close either; Ryan Ward finished second with 33. De Los Santos also led the Minors with 307 total bases and 120 RBIs while finishing fifth in full-season ball with a .571 slugging percentage and 10th with a .914 OPS. Coming off an inconsistent 2023 at Double-A, De Los Santos was a Rule 5 Draft pick by the Guardians last season, but he was returned to the D-backs’ system, only to be traded to the Marlins at the Deadline in the A.J. Puk deal. His raw power is some of the best in the Minors, and while he still has major issues with chasing pitches outside of the zone, there’s a reason why multiple clubs have sought him out in the past 12 months.

Pirates’ pitching prominence
Before he became a National League Rookie of the Year favorite, 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes was putting on a show for Triple-A Indianapolis, and even his run only lasted seven starts and 27 1/3 innings, it was one of the most memorable showcases of dominance in recent Triple-A memory: 0.99 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 45 strikeouts. The IL is where Skenes showed off his trademark splinker to go with his triple-digit heat and promising breaking pitches. There’s no replacing one of the best pitching prospects of this (or any) decade, but Bubba Chandler — Pittsburgh’s current top Minor League talent — did his best with a 1.83 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings following his Triple-A debut on Aug. 9. All four of his pitches (fastball, slider, changeup, curveball) had a whiff rate above 30 percent.

Chandler Simpson steals the spotlight
If you’re receiving this newsletter, you follow prospects stats at least somewhat closely, and if you follow prospect stats at least somewhat closely, you know the Rays’ No. 4 prospect finished the season with 104 steals, 73 of which came with Double-A Montgomery. Simpson didn’t arrive on the Biscuits’ roster until May 21, and he still cleared the Double-A SB field by 26. The 23-year-old outfielder also won the Minor League full-season batting title with a .355 average in 110 games and helped his cause with a .351 average and a 10.9 percent strikeout rate at Double-A. There still isn’t much pop in that bat, but the ability to put the ball in play and the wheels are two elite tools.

Boston’s Big Three becomes a Big Four
Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel considered each other best friends coming into the year, and both the Boston and national markets paid a ton of attention to the trio as the potential future of Fenway Park. Opening up as a group at Double-A Portland, they met the hype. Anthony overcame a slowish Double-A and hit the ground running at Triple-A Worcester (.344/.463/.519 in 35 games) to finish out the season as one of the Minors’ best performers. Mayer worked around injuries to hit .307 in 77 Eastern League games, and Teel continued to look the part as an all-around backstop. But it was the rise and domination of breakout star Kristian Campbell (.343/.450/.558, 183 wRC+ in 75 games at Double-A and Triple-A) that gave Boston the best prospect foursome in baseball. Barring injury, all four should see the Fens sometime next summer.

Making hitting look as easy as ADC
If any D-backs fans might have been sad to lose De Los Santos and his run to the top of the MiLB leaderboards, Adrian Del Castillo still gave plenty of excitement. Arizona’s No. 14 prospect led full-season Minor League qualifiers with his .603 slugging percentage and 1.002 OPS, and his 65 extra-base hits placed fourth despite the fact he spent much of August and September in the Majors. Playing his entire MiLB season with Triple-A Reno in the PCL — a hitter-friendly home ballpark in a hitter-friendly league — helped those numbers, but Del Castillo helped his case with solid exit velocities, plate discipline and ability to pull the ball in the air.

Don’t walk this way
There’s filling up the zone, and there’s what Twins prospect Zebby Matthews achieved this season at Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul. The 24-year-old right-hander walked only seven batters in 74 1/3 innings at those two levels. His 2.4 percent walk rate was the lowest among the 336 pitchers to get at least 70 frames. He struck out 86 batters in that same timeframe, so it wasn’t just about throwing strikes; getting K’s via swing-and-miss anywhere around the plate is just as good as pumping consistent strikes.

A throwback pitcher
You don’t see Minor Leaguers throw past six frames much anymore due to innings and pitch limits, but that’s exactly what Angels top prospect Caden Dana did nine times in 23 starts for Double-A Rocket City. His efficiency was a big reason; he never threw more than 108 pitches in those lengthy outings, including in three that lasted eight innings or more. Dana was arguably Double-A’s best pitcher with a level-best 2.52 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP over 135 2/3 innings, and that earned him a late-season MLB look at just 20 years old.

Team sport
We have to throw in some love to the most successful Triple-A and Double-A clubs this year. The Astros’ Triple-A club Sugar Land finished 93-56, giving the Space Cowboys the most wins in the Pacific Coast League since 1981. Cubs affiliate Double-A Tennessee — which featured all seven of the Cubs’ Top 100 prospects at various points — went 87-50 to finish with a .635 winning percentage, second highest in the Minors behind only Single-A Palm Beach (.638).